Steel tape reel



E. G. LANGE STEEL TAPE REEL June 30, 1931.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed July 30. 1928 Inventor Ema l G .L aflye [9% Attorney June 30, 1931. E. c;v LANGE 1,811,945

- STEEL TAPE REEL Original Filed July 30, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v m j r f gga Inventor Emil G Lanye Attorney Patented June 30, 1931 PATENT OFFICE EMIL G. LANGE, F SEDALIA, MISSOURI I STEEL TAPE REEL Application filed July 30, 1928, Serial The present invention relates to reels for steel tapes and more particularly to reels used for carrying the tapes employed by electricians -for pulling insulated wire through conduits and the like.

An important object of the invention is to provide a hand carried wheel of this char acter, about which the tape may be wound or unwound and embodying essentially a hand support through which the reel is adapted to rotate and providing a brake device car- 1ied by the hand support and engageable within the reel whereby to control the movement of the reel with respect to said. support. 7

Another important object of the invention is to provide a spring held guide through which the tape is fed and arranged normally to maintain the tape in a taut condition at the time the same is wound or unwound from the reel. 1

vA still further object is to provide an article of this character of a simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in performance, adapted for easy and convenient handling by the workman, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the special construction, combination and arrangementof the various elements forming the invention'as more fully hereinafter dc scribed and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming .part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the parts of the invention in assembled position,

Figure 2 is a top plan view,

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the tape guide taken along a line i 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through one side of the reel,

Figure 5 is a group perspective view of I the parts forming the tape guide and 0 Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of No. 296,287. Renewed May 12, 1931.

the brake for the reel and looking in a direction toward the inner periphery of the members forming the reel. 4

Referring now to the. drawings in detail, for the purpose. of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention which comprises a pair of spaced parallel ring members 5 having a spacing mem-- ber' G secured to the inner face of said members adjacent the inner periphery thereof, by means of bolts or screws 7.

The ring members and spacing member cooperate to form a channel 8 about the outer periphery of said ring members Within which may be wound a steel tape 9, of a type usually-employed by electricians in pullin insulated wires through conduits.

One end of the tape 9 is secured to the spacing member 6by a screw 10. Disposed about the reel is a hand support 11 of a tubular formation and having a cross sectional configuration similar to that of the reel so that the reel may freely rotate through said hand support. At one end of the supportinghandle 11 is secured apair of radially disposed supporting rods 12 secured to the support at opposite sides thereof and with their opposite ends protruding inwardly and outwardly beyond the inner and outer periphery respectively of the ring members.

The outer ends of said supports are provided with openings through which a pivot I pin 13 is inserted and upon which is .pivotally mounted a pair of spaced apart cars 14 formed at theunder side of a guide plate 15.

A similar guide plate 16 is disposed above the plate 15, each of said plates having alined openings 17 formed'therein for receiving bolts 18, said bolts being retained in position by nuts 19. 1

Disposed upon the bolts and arranged between the under side of the lower plate 15 and the nuts 19 are coil springs 20 adapted to'yieldably. urge the plates against each other. The free end of the tape 9 is slidably inserted between the plates 15 and 16, the outer end of the plates 16 having a pair of lugs 21 extending downwardly therefrom 100 and in overlapping relation with the adjacent edge of the plate 15, the space between the lugs providing an opening 22 through which the tape 9 is inserted.

The free end of the tape 9 is formed with a hook 23 providing means for gripping a piece of wire and also to prevent the free end of the tape from being torn through the guide when the tape is completely wound about the reel.

The guide formed by the plates 15 and 16 permits the tape to be drawn therethrough during the winding or unwinding of the tape with respect to the reel and yieldably grip the tape so as to prevent the formation of slack therein during the reeling or unreeling action.

A pivot pin 2-1 is carried at the inner end of the support 12 and upon which is pivotal ly mounted a. brake arm 25 having one end indicated at 26 bent inwardly in position for engaging the inner periphery of the ring members 5 and having its opposite end disposed in spaced relation with respect to the nner edge of the handle support 11 and with a spring 27 compressed therebctween whereby to normally urge the end of the brake arm 26 into braking position with respect to the inner periphery of the reel.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that upon the gri iping of the handle support 11 by the hand of the workman that the fingers may be utilized for controlling the brake rod 25. The brake rod 25 accordingly controls the freedom at which the reel is rotated through the handle support.

After the free end of the tape 9 has been attached to the electric wire or cable to be pulled and while one hand of the workman is employed for holding the reel and manipulating the brake rod'25 the other end may be utilized for turning the reel when desired to wind the tape thereabout.

Through the use of the brake and the friction guide formed by the spring held plates 15 and 16, the tape will always be maintained in a taut condition during the reeling or unreeling thereof.

It is obvious that my invention is susceptible to various changes and modifications in c gps truetion without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I accordingly claim all such forms of the device to which I am entitled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A reel of the character described comprising a reeling member composed of a pair of rings having a spacing member tlg rbetween securing the outer periphery ot the rings in spaced relation, a hand grip disposed about a portion of said member I and through which the member is freely movable, a brake device for the reel carried by said hand grip and a tape guide also attached to said hand grip.

2. A reel of the character described comprising a reeling member composed of a pair of rings having a spacing member therebetween securing the outer periphery of the rings in spaced'relation, a hand grip disposed about a portion of said member and through which the member is freely movable, a brake device for the reel carried by said hand grip, and a tape guide also carried by said hand grip and disposed in friction gripping relation with the tape carried by the reel.

3. A reel of the class described comprising a reel member composed of a pair of spaced apart rings having a spacing member secured at the inner periphery thereof, a hand grip disposed about a portion of said rings and through which the rings are freely movable, a brake device carried by the hand grip and disposed in braking engagement with respect to said rings, and a friction gripping tape guide carried by the hand grip and comprising a pair of superposed plates between which the tape is adapted to pass and means for yieldably securing the plates in clamping position at opposite sides of the tape.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' EMIL G. LANGE. 

